Episode 5 – How to spot a work at home scam

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I would hazard a guess that most people who have been in the work at home world for very long have either fell for or almost fell for a scam. I know I did, more than once! Some of these are not illegal scams, but still major money makers for someone other than you, for sure. And some of them are 100% illegal scams, such as the “shipping jobs” you will often see posted. DO NOT FALL FOR THESE!! At best you will lose time and money, at worst you will wind up in jail.

The major red flags that a job or business is a scam include:

A promise that you will make piles of money in just a few hours a week, while spending most of your time living the life you have always dreamed of. Starting out, you will realistically make about as much working from home as you would if you worked part-time at McDonalds. Seriously.

Unsolicited job offers that wind up in your spam folder. These are often from some other country, have a huge sob story included, or an unbelievable opportunity. If it is unbelievable…it probably should not be believed!

A little research gives you more red flags. If you search for the name of the company along with the word “scam” you will find out very quickly just how legit they are.

Money is made ONLY by recruiting new members, not by doing a specific job, selling a product or service, or producing something. This is a classic multi-level marketing scam. These have been around since long before the internet was a household name. They are also illegal in the United States.

Phone numbers and addresses seem to be bad. Call the contact number and see who answers it. Ask them some questions about the business. Check the address out on Google Maps and see if it could actually be a real business. Search for the physical address and phone number online.

ASK! Develop a network on social media of people that you can bounce ideas off of. Experienced WAHMs can easily spot a scam from miles away. All you have to do is ask if they think something is legit.